Arcane Shards
by He Who Hunts
Summary: Short stories about various mages from various places. In the second chapter, we have a War Wizard of Cormyr. Brutal CC requested.


Disclaimer: Wizards of the Sword Coast owns everything related to D&D.  
  
A/N: Constructive criticism is welcome. In fact, it's the only kind of review that I want. Reviews that do not contain CC will be MSTed and posted somewhere for my amusement and the amusement of those who read them. As for the story, I felt that the Forgotten Realms section needed less of the drow and more of the Netherese. Plus, I was tired of all those "X person must save the world" stories, so I wrote a little something that had no impact on the setting, but that might still be entertaining and enjoyable.   
  
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Dreams of Netheril  
  
Percia liked Karsus Enclave much more than Shade. However, one of her last two remaining suitors had insisted on meeting her here, and she hadn't spend three years courting brainless fools just to let one who actually had a chance get away. And so it was that Percia of Ioulaum slowly guided her flying disc of silver to the gates of Shade. From her vantage point, she saw much of the city, but she could make out very few details, as most of it was eternally basked in darkness. Not the most romantic place on Toril, but the man she was here to meet had never disappointed here.  
  
As she landed before the dark city's entrance, she mentally dismissed the spell that had created the floating disc and approached the gates. The guard - two well-armed and massive men - simply bowed before her and let her pass. Either they remembered her, or she was expected. As she began to cast a spell, the guards looked at her suspiciously, but she ignored them. As the incantation ended, a small floating ball - very black, dull and opaque - appeared before her. The guards relaxed and Percia swore that one of them snickered. The original spell - designed to bring a shimmering ball of light - had caused Shade's officials to give her a rather hefty fine during one of her business trips for casting a spell of light within the Enclave. She modified it shortly after.   
  
"Bring me to Mauryn," she told the ball, "And try not to go too fast. I don't want to lose you in the city."  
  
The ball lowered itself in a bow and obediently entered the city. Percia followed closely. Although Shade's architecture was much simpler than that of Karsus which had caused her to get lost more than once, the constant shadows made it difficult for someone who didn't live in the Enclave to find their way without magic. If she lost her guide, she could wander for hours before finding the house she was looking for, and so she was careful to keep it in sight.   
  
As she made her way through the crowded streets, no-one seemed to notice her or her guide. Such spells were not so uncommon in a city covered in darkness and the people had more important things to think about than a single visitor. Percia paid no more attention to them than they did to her. She'd learned quickly that the people of Shade did not like people who looked into their business much, especially if they were visitors. Spies from other Enclaves were not unheard of and were dealt with swiftly and harshly.  
  
Percia reached the home she was looking for in less than an hour. Like all buildings on the Enclave, it was dark and nondescript, but it seemed somehow warmer and more inviting. She used a simple spell to knock at the door. There was no point banging her knuckles against it, as it was so large that she would accomplish little more than bruising her hand if she did. The woman waited a few minutes before casting the spell again. She waited a while longer and still nothing happened.   
  
She cast another spell, one designed to unlock doors and dispel simple warding spells. After using a simple divination to see if any harmful dweomers, she cautiously opened the door and entered the house. The flying globe that had guided her this far glided to place itself in front of her and continued its journey. The door shut itself behind them.  
  
As Percia followed the globe, she heard the sounds of a spellbattle and Mauryn's familiar chuckle. She wasn't overly worried, as it would not be the first time she walked in on one of the arcanist's duels, must of which were fought against one of his own simulacrums. The sight had unsettled her the first few times, but she was used to it now, though she didn't approve of it much.   
  
As she neared Mauryn's laboratory, the sounds of battle became louder and clearer, as did the man's laughter. The smell of burned sulphur and ozone reached her nose. She called upon a powerful defensive spell before approaching the room. Battles between two arcanists often got out of hand, even when they were between a spellcaster and an illusion of himself.  
  
She opened the door and saw two wizards hurling spells at each other. Both wore simple black robes, had the same light brown hair and had identical faces, though one's was contorted in concentration and covered in sweat and the other's was calm and dry. The small black sphere beside her faded away, its quest over.  
  
Dust and smoke caused by the hurled filled the room, though Percia could see that the furniture was gone and that even the bookshelves - which had always been present, even when Mauryn was battling himself - were gone. Still, the man might have just moved them in anticipation of a most challenging duel. Or perhaps they had been destroyed, as innocent witnesses of a spellbattle sometimes were.   
  
Confident that all was right, Percia turned her attention to the arcanist and his simulacrum. The real Mauryn was surrounded by an ever-shifting, nearly invisible field of protective magic. His collapsing mantle, no doubt. Still, he was much better off than his opponent, whose robes were torn and covered in blood.   
  
Both man began the gestures of a spell and Percia braced herself. There was no telling what kind of spells they would unleash upon each other and she wanted to be ready in case death came her way. A bolt of lighting lashed out from the simulacrum's hands just has a spear of silver erupted from Mauryn's fingers. The two met each other between the two duelling mages ant the spear caught the lighting within itself and continued it's journey towards the simulacrum.  
  
No spell could deflect the bolt and so it embedded itself into the illusion's chest, unleashing the slaying lightning it contained in the process. It coughed once and simply disappeared, slain by the one who had created it. Percia heard a few arcane syllables and the dust and smoke were soon gone, replaced by dancing motes of multicoloured light. She turned to see Mauryn smile at her, unarmed.   
  
"Welcome to Shade, my dear," the arcanist said, "I trust that you had no problem finding my home?" As he spoke, he walked towards her and, taking her hand within his, gently kissed it.  
  
"My spells guarded me well, despite the city's taste in lighting," she answered.  
  
"Glad to hear it. That reminds me," he said, "you never did thank me for paying that fine the day we met."  
  
She laughed softly and brushed a strand of golden hair away from her eyes. "I believe that my mere presence here is thanks enough, though if you like, I can find a more suitable replacement." She raised a questioning eyebrow at him.  
  
"I suppose," Mauryn said, "that your presence here is worth a few platinum coins."  
  
"Only a few?" Percia asked.  
  
"Alright," Mauryn conceded, "a few thousand platinum coins then." He then picked her up and spun her around.  
  
"Mauryn! Stop!" she said between laughs, "You're making be dizzy." He then put her down, chuckling softly and she snuggled against him. Karsus never made me laugh like that, she thought. "Why did you ask me to come here?" she asked him.  
  
He wrapped his arms around her and she could feel his breath on her forehead as he leaned his head down to look at her. "I wanted to see you," he said.   
  
"You could have seen me through a scrying mirrors" she said.  
  
"Oh, I have," he assured her, "It was much more entertaining, but not as personal. It was quite frustrating, actually. Why, if it hadn't been for those pipes enspelled to supply cold water, I suspect that I would be insane by now. "  
  
Percia slapped his arm playfully and gave him a falsely indignant look. "Really, Mauryn, you should be ashamed of yourself!" she said before laying her head against his chest once more.   
  
"Come now, my dear," he said, "You can't possibly expect me to believe that you were never tempted to scry on me, if only to see what I had to offer."  
  
"I know exactly what you ever to offer," she said softly, "That's why I'm here."  
  
"And what do I have to offer you?" he asked.  
  
She raised her head to look into his grey eyes "As much as Karsus," she answered, "But not in the same way."  
  
He let go of her then and walked to stand before the room's large window and looked at the dark sky, silent and immobile. She stayed where she was, waiting for him to move or say something. She waited for several long, wordless minutes before approaching him and gently laying a hand on his arm.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"I'm leaving," he answered.  
  
She smiled and moved to face him. "You're leaving Shade?" she asked, "Your apprenticeship is over?"  
  
"My apprenticeship will never end, but there is nothing else for me to learn here." He moved away from her once more, this time to look at a wall. "As for leaving Shade, I am, more or less. More than less, I suppose."  
  
Once again she walked to stand in front of him. "What do you mean, Mauryn?" she asked, "And don't turn away from me, this time."  
  
"I'm leaving everything, Percia," he said, "Shade, Netheril, Faerun, Toril, the Prime Material Plane…"  
  
"Why?" she said, "Why can't you stay?"  
  
He placed his hands on her shoulder and looked into her shining blue eyes. "I can't live like this anymore," he said, "I can't spend my whole life with people who believe that everything revolves around them. That's why I studied with Shadow and the Princes of Shade. I wanted to know the truth, not what I was brought up to believe. I wanted understand magic, not wield it as a tool as if it were a pitchfork or a hammer."  
  
"And why do you have to leave everything to do that? Why can't you just build your own Enclave and pursue your studies from there?" she asked.  
  
"An Enclave is nothing," he said, "I have done much more with much less."  
  
She sighed and suddenly seemed quite tired. "What are you talking about?"   
  
  
  
He leaned closer to her abruptly. "I created a Pocket Plane, Percia" he said softly, "I took an expense of grey mist and created an entire world with it. All those foolish archwizards ever did was to levitate a mountain. They merely changed what was around them. They built nothing, but I did."  
  
She looked at him incredulously. "When did you find time to make a Pocket Plane?"  
  
Mauryn chuckled slightly. "An apprenticeship isn't just research, my dear. There's quite a bit of experimentation involved. It's also why I asked you to come here." He moved closer and held her in his arms. "What does Karsus have to offer you," he asked?  
  
"Magic, power, wealth and glory" she said softly.  
  
"I can offer you the Planes," Mauryn said, "I can bring you to see the library of Mystryl. We can climb the slops of Mount Celestia. We can drink from the waterfalls of Elysium. While arcanists wage for a bit more magic, we can see real magic, true magic the likes of which they will never see."  
  
Percia closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Can we return to Netheril?"  
  
She felt Mauryn nod. "Whenever you want," he said.  
  
"When are we leaving?" she asked.  
  
"Now," he said as he stroke her hair.  
  
She nodded and once again put her head on his chest. Mauryn began speaking the words of a spell that would carry them both to another Plane. His own Pocket Plane, probably. She took a small silver ring off her finger. Farewell, Karsus, she thought as the ring struck the laboratory's cold tone floor and rolled across the floor before settling down. 


End file.
